It has a capacity of approximately 10,500, cost £13,000,000 to build and was designed by Sheffield-based architects Ward McHugh Associates.[4]

Initial sponsorship under the name the b2net Stadium was revealed on 14 August 2009.[5] However, after two seasons and following the acquisition of b2net by Swedish company Proact,[6] the renaming of the stadium to the "Proact Stadium" was officially announced on 13 August 2012.[7]

The stadium has been chosen to stage England Under 19 and Under 21 fixtures,[8][9] and hosts numerous non-footballing functions, from weddings to pop concerts.[10][11]

Map of the Dema Glassworks regeneration, which includes the Proact Stadium

Dema Glassworks, before the construction of the stadium.

The Dema Glass site emerged as a possible location in October 2004 at a time when the club were already pursuing planning permission to redevelop Wheeldon Mill, the town's former greyhound stadium. Chesterfield Borough Council viewed the site as part of a masterplan to regenerate the A61 corridor, an area to the north of the town centre and including the Chesterfield Canal.[12] Agreement in principle between the club and local authority was struck in February 2005,[13] though progress faced initial delays.[14]

Planning permission was granted after a public meeting held on 1 July 2008,[16] with the plans forming part of a wider mixed-use development. The land at the site was handed over to the club in February 2009[17] and, after decontamination, construction officially started on Thursday 23 July 2009, overseen by GB Development Solutions.[18] Separate buildings which formed part of the overall scheme included a Tesco Extra superstore, Tesco petrol station, a KFC, a Enterprise car rental and other office facilities.[1]

The new stadium was handed over to the club in July 2010[19] and granted its full capacity licence from the Safety Advisory Group after hosting two limited capacity games against Derby County and Barnsley.[20]

The stadium can be expanded to a 13,000-seater facility if the corner sections are eventually filled.

The Main (West) stand has a curved roof line and a capacity of 3,144 seats with glazed windshields on either side and executive facilities at the rear. The stand includes conference rooms and banqueting rooms, including the Leengate Legends Lounge, and is where the majority of the club's non-footballing revenue is generated. The stand is sponsored by HTM Products (Derbyshire) Ltd.[22]

Located behind the goal on the south side of the Stadium, this stand is regarded as similar to the former Saltergate Kop in being the area where the main atmosphere is created by home supporters. Its capacity is 2,064 seats. The stand is sponsored by supporter Karen Child-Smith who won the National Lottery in 2007.[23]

The North Stand is almost identical to the South stand, the only difference is the North stand has only one disabled gantry while the South stand has two. Away supporters are primarily housed in this stand, where up to 2,088 can be seated. (At the time the ground opened, the North Stand was called the 'Printability Stand').

Like the Main stand, the East Stand has a curved roof line but with no executive facilities at the rear. It includes a multi-purpose sports and community room, sports injury clinic, meeting rooms, a gym and healthy living resource for all ages, a wave pool for rehabilitation, heritage room, classroom resource centre for local education, a soft play area for youngsters, and a cafeteria.[21][24] Additional space for away fans may be provided in this stand as demand requires. Its capacity is 3,208 seats. (At the time the ground opened, the East Stand was called the 'Midlands Co-operative Community Stand').

All four stands encompass concourse facilities under the stand, including on-tap beverages and multiple television screens showing the game in progress, and Sky sports channels before and after the game.[21]

On the exterior of the East Stand is a £1.7m community facility called 'The HUB'. This two story building was opened in September 2013 by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust. The HUB includes a cafe, 'Chester's Den' a playcentre, a gym, a therapy pool, a multi-use sports hall and classrooms. The facility also houses the offices of the Trust as well as other tenants and a martial arts dojo.[25]

A memorial garden was opened in September 2014. Built by the Supporters Club and now maintained by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, the Garden is adjacent to The HUB. The Garden is intended as a memorial to fans and players of Chesterfield FC. It also includes a War Memorial recognising the seventeen football club players and officials who died in the wars of the twentieth century.[26]

The pies served at the stadium have been judged the best pies in English football.[27]